The Novel’s Villain

18. Death and Resurrection (3)

He was a hero. Everyone had no choice but to think that when they saw the final blow that sent the Demon King reeling back. The Knights who acted as bait with Jin-woo approached, shedding hot tears. The Knights who stood up to the death flag were wounded, but fortunately still standing.

‘That’s a relief.’

If they had died, he would have felt uncomfortable sleeping.

Jin-woo noticed a camera filming him. It seemed that the Emperor of Gold was overly conscious of the camera. He felt a little exhausted, perhaps because a lot of mana was consumed quickly. He wasn’t tired from battle but tired from choreography that was so like the Emperor of Gold. Perhaps because of that, a rather exhausted heroic figure, who seemed drenched in emotion, was being produced.

Choi Hee-yeon approached him. She seemed to have gone through a lot of distress.

“Your wounds…”

Wounds? At Choi Hee-yeon’s words, Jin-woo lowered his head and looked at his body. Fascinatingly, blood was flowing out of him. It wasn’t ordinary blood but had been created on the skin by Jin-woo’s mana. The Emperor of Gold had developed further and even presented his body according to the concept.

‘Umm…’

Wouldn’t this be more like a scammer?

“Come on, your wounds!”

“Call the healer!”

The Knights were in a hurry. Jin-woo politely refused.

“It’s okay. My wounds are rather light, so please start with someone else. I can take care of it.”

There were a lot of people who were seriously injured by Angelica. Of course, Jin-woo had no injuries at all.

“As expected…”

“I understand.”

The Knights nodded at Jin-woo’s words. Jin-woo washed the blood away in the relief barracks after handing off potions to Merlin, the head of the Relief Knights. This was because, among the Knights with the death flag, there were Knights who were wounded enough that their injuries might serve as a complication. He felt so guilty that he couldn’t help it.

“S-such a precious thing…”

Merlin, the Wizards, and the healers who were with them were deeply moved. Jin-woo avoided their gazes.

“Well…saving lives comes first.”

“Haha! That’s right, Mr. Jin-woo.”

As Merlin and the others began to move busily, Jin-woo sighed and wrapped a bandage around himself to continue the deception. When he came out of the barracks, Choi Hee-yeon was waiting nearby.

The atmosphere was very awkward.

‘Still, there wasn’t a waste of life.’

Having Choi Hee-yeon worried about him, he succeeded in becoming the bad guy. Jin-woo smiled slightly, and she took a long breath before looking at him resentfully.

“The Federation Intelligence Bureau is conducting an interrogation.”

“Whom are they interrogating?”

“The Demon King’s spies…Wang Guo Liang and the elite Knight of the Seven Dragons Association.”

Choi Hee-yeon explained from the beginning. When the Demon King, Angelica, disappeared, all the earthworms and monsters disappeared with her. Up to this point, it was something that China would be cheering for, but not afterward. The news that the Gate also disappeared shocked China.

The dungeons were still around the temple, and the black area remained intact so it couldn’t be restored. Rather, monsters would keep coming out of the dungeon, and it would take a lot of manpower and resources to monitor it. Reinstallation and operation of the barrier for surveillance and defense would also cost a lot in Mana Crystals.

Anyway, the Federation’s Intelligence Bureau agents found the Seven Dragons Association’s Knights, including Wang Guo Liang, in the dungeon and conducted an interrogation.

‘I’m worried about it.’

He was worried about what they would say.

Jin-woo and Choi Hee-yeon headed to the interrogation room. As soon as the intelligence agent saw Jin-woo, he left his seat. His eyes were full of respect. Jin-woo was the hero who saved China.

“You came? How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine.”

“Hehe, I’m glad to hear that.”

The Ambassador smiled and nodded. Tang Xiao Zhen bowed deeply when she made eye contact with Jin-woo, showing her gratitude and sorrow.

“I will help rebuild this area.”

“R-really? T-thank you.”

When Jin-woo said that, Tang Xiao Zhen was moved to tears. They could breathe a bit easier if they could get supplies from G&P’s Magic Crystals. He felt he needed to offer this much to soothe his conscience.

Jin-woo saw Wang Guo Liang and the intelligence agents.

“Uh-huh! Stop!”

“What did that Giant Knight promise you? What did you get in return?”

“Uh? Huh?”

Wang Guo Liang seemed to sense Jin-woo’s presence over the window. As he was continuously exposed to the Golden Temple, Jin-woo’s energy was accustomed to his body. And, given the special measures taken by someone, he had grown more sensitive.

“Ke-keaargh! I’ll do anything. I’ll do it, please, that place…! No! Don’t put me in! Keaaargh!”

“It’s severe. He’s completely out of his mind.”

“Is the Demon King even capable of such a thing?”

The intelligence agents said that while looking at Wang Guo Liang. It was the same with the other Seven Dragons Association members. Everyone had a seizure as soon as they felt Jin-woo’s presence. Tang Xiao Zhen and the Ambassador’s expressions grew serious.

“That’s…is it something like the mind absorption technique from legends?”

“Um, I can’t believe he threw away his pride and begged like that…that Demon King…it’s such a scary creature.”

Choi Hee-yeon, who heard Tang Xiao Zhen and the Ambassador say so, also nodded. Jin-woo tilted his head and created a little mana. Wang Gio Liang grew increasingly terrified, and his body began to tremble.

“I-I will give you e-everything! Please don’t do that…! Sobs. N-No. 42! Please…”

He bowed towards the temple. One of the experienced intelligence agents noticed the direction.

No. 42? It meant a prisoner of JW Gate.

What the hell happened? Jin-woo had no way of knowing. According to Gallock, Kim Young-hoon and the prisoners built a ship and left for Japan.

‘For now, there is no harm…’

It was as if the bomb had been handed over to Japan. Anyway, Wang Guo Liang and the knights of the Seven Dragons Association became traitors who sold their humanity. All competent people related to the Seven Dragons Association were on the Federation’s investigation list. A fierce competition to seize real power within China had begun. Old Archives and the Five Dynasties had been beaten down so far, but no longer.

‘Well, it’s settled for now.’

Anyway, it worked out in the end. It wasn’t intentional, though.

* * *

Jin-woo made a grand comeback. The ‘hero who came back from death’ appeared to fit him very well. He sent the Demon King back to the Demon Realm as soon as he returned from death, so it was hard to develop a more beautiful story than this. Of course, there was a lot of news.

The G&P was almost festive. At JW Gate, it was said that it was like Easter there to celebrate his return. There was also a story that Chairman Lee Hee-jin, who participated in the emergency response meeting, laughed out loud for the first time in a while. The Association and partner broadcasting stations, which took the risk to send reporters, sensed a jackpot. They could get a much more valuable image even though some expensive equipment was destroyed in the process.

‘I’m sure it’s okay.’

There was no justification to stop it as the Association was carrying it out. Jin-woo was the youngest ever to receive a first-class medal from the Federation of Competent People. The first-class medal was a great honor, one that all Knights respected. There were only seven Knights, including Jin-woo, who had received one. The laureates were all retired Knights, making Jin-woo the only active duty recipient.

He, of course, didn’t receive the medal directly because he was recovering from his wounds, officially speaking.

After returning to Korea, Jin-woo headed straight to the sanctuary. He looked after Angelica right away. She had returned to her original size but was still wearing her shattered armor.

“The Emperor of Vanity is fully settled.”

“Can you take it out?”

“I will try.”

Arina prepared a saw to separate the Emperor of Vanity. Jin-woo thought she would pull out some sort of magic tool, but on second glance, it was a sharp surgical saw.

“Are you going to take it out with that?”

“Yes, we first have to cut her head, then we open her skull and remove her brain. And after cutting out the eroded parts…”

Arina grabbed Angelica’s helmet without hesitation and began to cut it off with her saw. Angelica had no response, but the Emperor of Vanity had plenty to say.

[Keaaaaargh! S-stop it! Uh-uaaagh!]

The helmet was the same as Angelica’s body, so it felt pain. Yet, Arina’s hand was unstoppable.

[Cough! If you save me, I will be very useful!]

“Umm…”

[I will give my allegiance to the Emperor! P-please…]

The Emperor of Vanity spit these words out, but Jin-woo didn’t react at all. As long as he was in Angelica’s body, he was Jin-woo’s property anyway.

[Huh, Huuuuuuh…]

The Emperor of Vanity wept. It was such a sad cry. Without a body, there was no restriction on pain so that even an Emperor couldn’t bear it.

Swish-swish!

When Arina cut off the helmet, the two horns on it fell off.

Thud! Thud!

The armor attached to Angelica’s body also fell to the floor. Arina looked at the scene with interest. She nodded as she looked at the shards of helmet she had cut off.

“It seems that she became a Death Knight while still alive because she used a cursed helmet. It was only halfway. Her ego also remains…”

The helmet turned to dust.

“Hmm?”

Angelica’s original appearance was revealed. She was a woman with red hair, dressed in a medieval knightly outfit. Overall, she matched the name, Angelica.

“It’s amazing. I think she could be considered a living zombie.”

Angelica blinked.

“A-am I moving? Hu, uhh!”

Angelica said so, and she began to clean up the armor around her.

“It appears that the curse has been lifted, and the ego has been mixed in. If that’s the case…I can’t separate it. When her body dies, the Emperor of Vanity will also perish.”

“I see.”

Angelica and the Emperor of Vanity seemed to move together. The Emperor of Vanity perfectly covered Angelica’s deficiencies. It was certainly amazing. Arina even had a sad smile.

“In that state, we can use her in many ways. The Emperor of Vanity who turned the Demon Realm into a wasteland…he deserves to suffer.”

Arina wiggled her fingers and looked at Angelica. Angelica flinched and sat down on the floor. It was a very scary scene.

“I-I will do anything. I will serve the Emperor forever with Angelica!”

Jin-woo first looked at her with the Magic Eye of Information.

Lv. 93

[-S] Angelica of Vanity

Status: Golden Slave

Loyalty: 230% (Angelica 200% + Emperor of Vanity 30%)

Favorability: 200% (Angelica 190% + Emperor of Vanity 10%)

‘Work!’

A mixture of Angelica and the Emperor of Vanity. They perfectly complement each other’s shortcomings. They have merged into one, and the ability to possess other beings can no longer be used. She can handle dark mana and swordsmanship with Angelica’s help.

The Emperor of Vanity will maintain her body well based on know-how acquired through experience.

*Owner: Emperor of Gold

The slave’s popularity, honor, and influence are all reflected in the master.

Possessed Technique

[B]Dark Swordsmanship, [B] Double Personality, [A] Living Dead, [B] Dark Cleaning Method

Special Technique

[S] Act of Possession

Throughout their many years of living, she possessed many people and perfectly imitated them. She can act it out perfectly, even with small clues such as personality, trivial habits, or relationships with people. It is the ability that has brought many empires and kingdoms to ruin.

Her acting can’t be recognized even by an Emperor.

[B] Slave of Vanity

She obtains mana and powers based on vanity. But since she has become a Golden Slave, she puts all that vanity in the Waste Stacks. She can turn all the money she earns into Waste Stacks.

Surprisingly, her abilities were very good. Jin-woo especially liked the special technique called the Slave of Vanity. The Waste Stacks had hardly risen these days, and he didn’t think it was going to go up because he had earned too much money.

“Master, somehow…it smells like money. It is also very intense!”

“Right.”

Jin-woo also agreed with Arina’s words. He, too, could smell the strong scent of honey. Jin-woo looked at Angelica. She flinched and looked up at him.

The special technique called Act of Possession was a whopping S rank. It was an amazing power that deceived the original protagonist over and over again. The original protagonist had his intelligence to blame partly, but Jin-woo could understand why he was deceived. If it was a Rank S acting ability, it was enough.

“Come to think of it, if she becomes a famous actress…”

Her popularity, fame, and money all belonged to Jin-woo.

“You said you’d do anything?”

Ahn Heo-young. Ahn was a surname whose pronunciation was similar to the first syllable of Angelica, and Heo-young meant vanity in Korean from the Emperor of Vanity. Jin-woo roughly named her Ahn Heo-young after the two of them.

Heo-young quickly nodded at Jin-woo’s words.

“A name that means no vanity was allowed. That’s a pretty decent name. No name could be more humiliating than this.”

“I didn’t mean it that way, but…”

“As expected from Master!”

Arina truly admired it. Ella, Arina, and Ahn Heo-young. With this, the Elonti Entertainment family had increased by one more member. Elf, demon, and a former Emperor. Come to think of it, everyone in Elonti Entertainment was extraordinary.

‘Now there are ten more left.’

He still had a long way to go. There were still many Emperors with unusual powers similar to the Emperor of Vanity. This was because the original author mixed things that he saw elsewhere.

“Master, I have something to tell you. It is personal.”

“Hmm?”

“I bought an estate in the Demon Realm with the settlement money and set up a company.”

“Really?”

“Yes! I am now a full-fledged lord.”

She said that she set up a company that professionally made videos by gathering demon engineers. It was thanks to this that the video quality of her recent songs had improved. Perhaps because the Demon Realm was so barren, Arina seemed to be exercising considerable influence. Well, it made sense, given the Emperor of Gold was behind her.

Since Arina also belonged to Jin-woo, she also affected Jin-woo’s honor and influence rank improvement.

“Good job.”

“Yes!”

A new flow had arrived in the dreary Demon Realm.

* * *

Elonti had changed a lot. A village was built around the World Tree, and the castle was rebuilt. If Ella awakened the will of the World Tree and controlled the forest, it could have been created quickly, but the World Tree this time was different. It hated annoying things and worked only as much as it received dimensional gold coins. Thanks to this, building and expanding the forest consumed a large number of dimensional gold coins.

Still, the elves were satisfied in their way when they paid the price steadily. Compared to when the World Tree was asleep, it was closer to heaven. Ella joined the meeting with Delu and several elves. With the creation of the Golden Temple in China, the World Tree connected the Earth to Elonti. It was possible functions to install an app, and MeTube was one of them.

Ella checked the number of views on MeTube in real-time through the connection with the World Tree. Although it was limited, she could also watch videos. Of course, she had to dedicate several dimensional gold coins to the World Tree.

“Queen, the number of views…”

“I-I see.”

The elves looked sad. Ella tried not to show it, but it leaked through. This was because Arina’s ‘Banquet of the Great Devil and Hell’ music video had finally surpassed Ella in views. For Ella and the elves, Elonti Entertainment was named after Elonti. The Emperor of Gold made it himself and granted Elonti prosperity.

It was a serious problem if the demon Arina became more influential in Elonti Entertainment. The elf’s pride was at stake. Ella’s channel, a channel under Elonti Entertainment, also began to lose to Arina’s subscribers.

“Queen, Gallock has arrived.”

Gallock and the orcs entered the castle carrying many presents. They used to be enemies, but no longer. The Orc Village and Elonti became an alliance that frequently cooperated. The orcs often brought plant seeds or high-quality fruits, giving Elonti a lot of strength. Gallock immediately noticed Ella’s expression.

“Ella, Queen of the Forest! My kind sister! You look sad. What’s happening?”

“That’s…”

Ella explained in a weak voice. Gallock nodded.

“Demons, they are a very difficult race to understand. We must not let them exert influence.”

“As expected, is that so?”

“Well! But it was the demons who helped the Emperor during the last dimensional expedition. The Emperor defeated evil and conquered the dimension!”

“The demons are helping…! I can’t believe it…!”

Dellu stood up in surprise with an angry expression. Ella barely managed to calm her.

“Ella, you must first know your opponent.”

“I see. Thank you for those kind words.”

“Well!”

Gallock’s point of view, which was different from the elves, was very helpful. Ella asked Gallock for a favorable evaluation. After offering more dimensional gold coins, the World Tree showed videos of Arina and Ella.

Gallock and the orcs looked at the video with serious expressions.

“Well, I don’t know, but yours feels distracting! It’s too plain for us to see! However, the demons are stimulating. It seems capable of amplifying a human’s needs.”

“Is that so?”

“But, Ella, you are better! You insult the orcs who fought fiercely with the elves if you lose to a demon like that. Say the word, and we will help!”

As Gallock spoke with a serious look, Ella nodded as she was touched. It was very reliable to have such an ally.

When Gallock left, Dellu looked to Ella.

“My Queen, we need special measures. I will ask Lady Yoo-na to teach me. I’m sure it won’t be a problem because the Emperor has also allowed me to come and go.”

Dellu had become active since becoming a Dark Elf, and there were elf artisans also scheduled to be dispatched. This was because their sculptures and paintings were one of their main sources of income.

Ella checked Arina’s video comments. It was the opinions written down by the people of the land controlled by the Emperor. She could read all the characters through language magic, but sometimes there were many things she couldn’t understand. The World Tree received dimensional gold coins and translated them.

The nickname ‘Jin-woo My Lil Bro’ caught her eye. MeTube had a support function, and it was a person she was grateful for a lot of support. Thanks to them, she was able to widen the forest considerably.

“Oh, that person also commented on Arina’s video….”

Ella became sullen as she noticed that person also commented on Arina’s video. Ella carefully checked the comments.

Jin-woo My Lil Bro: Thank you. But it doesn’t suit my taste.

Ella’s eyes widened. Then she tried to check the comment on her video.

Jin-woo My Lil Bro: Thank you for the good song; it made me feel calm and happy. I wish you all the best in the future.

Her sullen expression disappeared in an instant.

‘Jin-woo My Lil Bro…’

Ella felt a surge of motivation.

‘Let’s start a counterattack, too!’

At Ella’s words, all the elves burned with a renewed fighting spirit. It was even stronger than when they faced the Orcs. All of this was something that Jin-woo hadn’t expected.

* * *

Chairman Lee Hee-jin had a meeting in a huge conference room overlooking the city. It had been quite a while since he stepped out into the open. The huge conference room was full of executives that had gathered due to Lee Jin-woo’s death. Lee Min-woo was sitting closest to Chairman Lee Hee-jin. None of them could make eye contact with Lee Min-woo, let alone Chairman Lee Hee-jin. Lee Min-woo’s recent purge instilled a deep sense of fear in them.

“The next agenda is….”

Lee Min-woo looked at the watch and raised his hand. Then the person who was conducting the meeting immediately closed his mouth. When Chairman Lee Hee-jin nodded and gestured, and the meeting was settled in an instant.

“I-it’s already time!”

“I see. Haha! Well! Let’s get ready.”

The executives spoke in a cold sweat. It was time for the Relief Knights documentary to air. When the screen came down, everyone remained silent and started watching the broadcast. The first public appearance was broadcast through the Association’s MeTube account.

The Relief Knight’s special broadcast was centered on Lee Jin-woo as it was edited mainly by Lee Min-woo and the Future Strategy Office. From the moment Jin-woo left the airport to the meeting scene, it was broadcast naturally. Some of the contents of the meeting also came out, and there was a lot of tension.

All the executive-level figures gathered clenched their fists when Jin-woo agreed to be the bait. The part where he defeated the giant Demon King at the end was overwhelming. It was like a blockbuster movie. No, it was far beyond that.

Clap-clap-clap!

When the show ended, applause rang out. Chairman Lee Hee-jin’s lips were slightly raised. The Chairman rarely smiled, so a shock rippled through the other attendees.

The meeting ended in a good atmosphere.

Chairman Lee Hee-jin stepped out of the conference room. As Lee Min-woo followed, the Chairman slowed and turned to look at him.

“Go to work.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good work.”

“Yes? Ah…thank you.”

Chairman Lee Hee-jin headed to his private office. He opened his laptop and went to the channel of the Association of Competent People. He touched his eyelids for a moment before putting on the glasses that were placed on the table. After reading all the comments, he nodded and put his hand on the keyboard.

Jin-woo My Grandson: I’m enjoying it.

He left such a comment. His subscribed channels included Elonti Entertainment.

“Hmm…”

His personality seemed to have changed slightly as his mind felt peace when he heard a song from Elonti Entertainment. If the Sword Master knew about it, he would have suspected dementia.

‘He’s also not normal these days.’

Chairman Lee Hee-jin shook his head. It was Chairman Lee Hee-jin’s secret hobby to control everything in the world from behind the scenes.